Habits

Habits play an important role in our lives. They form with repetition and allow us to interact with our environment in a cognitively efficient way. Good habits contribute to increased productivity, improved physical health, and enhanced mental well-being.

My primary research interest are the core mechanisms underlying habits. In my view, habits result from goal-directed processes that allow us to automatically represent potential beliefs and goals when presented with a familiar context.

But some habitual behaviors are suboptimal, so-called bad habits. If you know something is bad for you, why is it so hard to stop? I am trying to understand how goal-directed processes can go awry and lead to bad habits.

Examples of behaviors that I am interested in vary in severity from everyday action slips (e.g., entering an old password), to impulsive behaviors (e.g., eating unhealthy foods), and on the extreme, compulsive behaviors (e.g., substance use or checking locks repetitively).

Through my work, I hope to offer insights into habit formation and expression, thereby helping to make good habits and break bad habits.